Lu Xiangsheng slowly lowered the smoothing board in his hand, his expression caught somewhere between dignity and the very real awareness that he had just been caught doing something profoundly undignified.
"Well," he began, in the tone of someone attempting to construct a reasonable explanation out of very unreasonable circumstances, "I merely thought smoothing cement looked rather interesting, so I decided to try it myself."
Cao Wenzhao did not even bother hiding his reaction.
"There is cement on your face."
Lu Xiangsheng froze.
For a man who could stand calmly under artillery fire, the realization that his face might currently resemble a poorly maintained wall hit him with surprising force, and he immediately raised a hand, patting his face in a way that only made things worse before hurriedly trying to clean it.
Cao Wenzhao crouched down beside the damaged patch of ground, examining it with the seriousness of a battlefield inspection.
"Lord Lu, you cannot smooth cement like this, you will never get it even, let me try."
Lu Xiangsheng blinked, genuinely puzzled.
"You know how to do this?"
"Not at all," Cao Wenzhao replied cheerfully, already taking the tool from him, "but I have watched it often enough to be confident in my ability to pretend."
Before the experiment could proceed any further, a voice drifted over from not too far away, casual, almost amused, yet carrying a presence that made people instinctively pay attention.
"Cao Wenzhao, come here for a moment, there is something you should see."
Li DaoXuan stood there, holding a document that looked far too official to be good news.
Cao Wenzhao immediately straightened, his relaxed posture snapping into something far more alert.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, what is the matter?"
Li DaoXuan waved the document lightly.
"It is not me looking for you, it is Zhu Youjian, he has sent word."
That was enough to draw both Cao Wenzhao and Lu Xiangsheng over without hesitation.
The document in Li DaoXuan's hand was an imperial edict, delivered by a member of the Jinyiwei who, due to certain… alignments of interest, had chosen not to make a public spectacle of the delivery and instead handed it over quietly.
Once the two officials finished reading, their expressions shifted in ways that would have been difficult to describe as anything other than complicated.
Lu Xiangsheng was the first to speak, and his tone carried more weight than before.
"Zheng Zhilong has rebelled, he has declared his intention to overthrow the emperor and support the Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian, and His Majesty has ordered you to return and deal with him."
Cao Wenzhao glanced at Li DaoXuan, who gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, the kind of gesture that carried far more meaning than it appeared to.
"I see," Cao Wenzhao said calmly, "in that case, I will need to depart immediately."
Lu Xiangsheng stiffened.
The situation, as he understood it, had just escalated from troubling to deeply alarming, because in his mind, this was no longer a matter of isolated unrest but a full-scale political upheaval led by a prince, backed by a maritime power.
And now, at precisely the worst possible moment, they were about to lose their primary field commander.
"That cannot be right," he said, frowning deeply, "even if Zheng Zhilong has rebelled, this is not the time to withdraw you."
Cao Wenzhao tilted his head slightly.
"Oh, and why is that?"
Lu Xiangsheng did not hesitate.
"Zheng Zhilong is formidable at sea, yes, but on land his strength is limited, even if he supports the Prince of Tang, he cannot cause immediate large-scale damage inland, whereas our current position here is critical, we should push forward, strike directly toward Shenyang, and eliminate the Jianzhou threat first, only then should we turn back to deal with Zheng Zhilong."
Cao Wenzhao smiled faintly.
"And if I withdraw, and the Jianzhou forces counterattack, that would be a waste of everything we have achieved, correct."
Lu Xiangsheng nodded firmly.
"Exactly."
"Then you may rest assured," Cao Wenzhao replied, his tone calm in a way that only made his words more unsettling, "my departure will not affect the outcome here in the slightest."
Lu Xiangsheng stared at him.
"That makes no sense, you are the de facto commander, how can your absence have no impact."
Cao Wenzhao did not answer immediately, instead glancing toward the surrounding troops, the unfamiliar formations, the strange equipment, the entire system that had quietly redefined how warfare operated here.
"This army," he said slowly, "does not rely on any single individual, remove one person, and it continues, because it was never built around a single person to begin with, every one of us is insignificant on our own, but together, we become something that is not."
Lu Xiangsheng blinked.
The idea was not entirely incomprehensible.
But it was deeply unsettling.
"So when I leave," Cao Wenzhao continued, "another insignificant person will take my place."
Lu Xiangsheng frowned.
"Who."
Cao Wenzhao's gaze swept across the commanders from Gao Village, and he smiled.
"Anyone."
That did not help.
Not even slightly.
Lu Xiangsheng pressed his temples, already feeling the beginnings of a headache forming.
"This is precisely why you cannot be withdrawn," he muttered, frustration leaking through, "we are on the verge of a decisive advance, months have already been lost, and now, at the critical moment, His Majesty chooses to interfere again, what exactly is he thinking."
Cao Wenzhao, having clearly decided that further explanation would not improve the situation, simply turned and began preparing for departure.
At that moment, Li DaoXuan stepped forward, his expression calm, almost reassuring.
"Lord Lu, there is no need for concern," he said, settling into a seat as if this were a discussion rather than a crisis, "whether Cao Wenzhao leaves or stays, it will not affect our ability to deal with the Jianzhou forces, we have already sealed them in from three directions, ensuring they cannot cause further disruption, what we are doing now is not merely fighting a war, but preparing the conditions for something larger."
Lu Xiangsheng looked at him.
"Something larger?"
Li DaoXuan smiled.
"A shift in how things are done, a moment for people to reflect on governance itself, whether power should remain in the hands of one, or be shared among many."
Lu Xiangsheng fell silent.
He had been thinking about such things recently.
More than he ever had before.
Ideas that once felt distant were now uncomfortably close.
"Then who will command next," he asked after a pause, "surely you are not planning to lead the army yourself."
Li DaoXuan laughed lightly.
"Me, I am not suited for battle, I leave such matters to those who understand them, my strengths lie elsewhere."
"And what would those be?"
Li DaoXuan considered the question with surprising seriousness.
"Logistics," he said at last, "and guiding people toward thinking, and perhaps, toward progress."
Lu Xiangsheng did not respond immediately.
Because for the first time, he was beginning to suspect that those might be the more dangerous skills.
---
Far from Liaodong, across the sea, on the northern coast of Taiwan, stood a fortress known as San Salvador City.
Built in 1626, it had been under Spanish control for over a decade, a foothold carved into the island as part of a broader struggle for maritime dominance.
To the south, the Dutch held Fort Zeelandia, and for years, the two powers had clashed, competing for influence, resources, and control.
They had not been allies.
Not even close.
And yet, now, they sat at the same table.
The Spanish commander looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"If you have something to say, say it quickly, and then leave."
The Dutch commander did not react to the hostility, because this was not the time for pride.
"In recent days," he began, "forces from the Ming have established a supply settlement on the eastern side of the island and formed alliances with the indigenous tribes, we have already engaged them multiple times."
The Spanish commander frowned.
"And this concerns us how."
The Dutch commander's expression sharpened.
"You still do not see it, the Ming intend to take control of the island, once they defeat us, you will be next."
That gave the Spanish commander pause.
Not agreement.
But consideration.
The Dutch continued.
"We may have our differences, but we both came from Europe, and when facing a common threat, cooperation becomes necessary, otherwise, once they defeat us, your position here will not hold."
That, unfortunately, made sense.
In the age of maritime expansion, European powers fought each other relentlessly when they had the advantage, but when facing a stronger local force, alliances formed with surprising speed.
The Spanish commander thought for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Very well," he said, "we will cooperate and drive the Ming forces from the island."
He paused.
Then added, with deliberate clarity.
"But do not misunderstand this."
"This does not make us friends."